Everyone has its own favourite city, that fills our batteries and that we find inspirational.

For us, that’s London.

City filled with diversity, colors, smells and music. Its streets make you feel alive and full of life. It offers us a lot of opportunities in fashion, music, design, architecture, art and in all those big, beautiful green parks. We find our inspiration in every single thing out there.

Hairdressers come each fall, to London, where we are guided by our passion and willingness to be better at our job and to learn more on a Salon International show, a show that shows us all the new hairstyles and is accompanied by leading names in our industry such as Vidal Sasson, Mozella & Palmer, Saco, Tony and Guy, Hob and others…

Thanks to social networking, we have managed to form all sorts of friendships with our colleagues all around the world. Salon international offers us a chance to exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas with other people in our line of work. It’s nice to sit down for a pint of beer after the seminars and to transform all those virtual friendships to real ones, even to cooperate with some.

This year we have a lot of reasons for celebration; one of them includes our shop’s, Mandala’s, first birthday that we have had to celebrate in one of London’s oldest pubs along side with some overly famous fish and chips. Afterwards we have crowned this night out by going to the theatre. The unique and simple combination of comedy, dance and rhythm by the group called STOMP left us breath taking. They have created all sorts of magic by using only simple things like matches, brooms, pans, shopping carts, buckets and lighters… They have amazed us, so you are free to go and check them out at Ambassador theatre.

When there is a chance for Croats to come to British capital and perform in one of the strongest events in hairdressing world, we are simply obligated to give them credit for that amazing achievement and stand by their side as they represent our nation in the brightest light. Basically, on this simple almost too simple hairdressing event called NOICE that was founded by creative director of Saco academy Richard Ashforth, Croatian team from Zagreb, called ZGAT, have showed and presented their work. Our hearts grew a little. It was a special treat for Christmas to be a part of this hairdressing community.

So as we were going back to the city, we just have to mention some of the places we have visited. The same way we stop at British square on a Sunday afternoon in Zagreb, we have stopped at Portobello, one of many London’s squares. A lots of antiques, vintage clothes and shoes, traditional food and street music make you forget to check your watch and just be lost in time. You can find something for everyone at Portobello, if not on stands, then in all those little shops full of everything. One of which is a small headquarter to a notorious and provocative graffiti message designer group called BANKSY.

Crazy amount of nice things and stories happened to us in London in only 2 and a half days, so we simply can’t complain about a thing. It was a very nice and inspirational trip.

Powered by: Mandala salon

Text: Vlasta Menges

Photos: Darko Purić

Translation: Filip Šeatović